As a land-use lawyer, Thomas Hawkins Jr. believes most of Gainesville's problems revolve around growth management.
"The issue I care most about is the physical form of Gainesville changing," he said.
Hawkins, 27, is running for the Gainesville City Commission At-Large District 2 seat.
The more the city sprawls, he said, the more traffic increases in the west and poverty in the east. Instead, Hawkins wants to promote denser growth in downtown Gainesville.
Since it can be expensive to build in downtown Gainesville, Hawkins said he supports financial incentives for projects like the Hampton Inn, a downtown project the city granted $802,000.
While he said he doesn't necessarily want city money going to luxury condos, in reference to the University Corners project, he would like to see more housing for students and professors.
"The way to look at it is not that we're giving away money," he said, but investing in city development.
In addition to downtown growth, Hawkins wants to improve the development of youth programs like the Reichert House, an after-school facility for at-risk youth.
"They're focusing on the root problem of poverty and crime," he said.
He also said he wants to promote biotechnology parks in east Gainesville to vary the types of available jobs.
"I think we need to diversify that base and broaden that base," he said.
Moving on to the issue of homelessness, Hawkins said he would support delegating more resources to St. Francis House to supply emergency and transitional shelter. Also, he said, the city should mediate with landlords to help people keep their homes.
But, he said, homelessness can be stopped at the source by promoting more cheap housing alternatives like boarding houses.
Hawkins' family has been involved in Gainesville politics since his great-grandfather was mayor more than 100 years ago. Hawkins is a graduate of UF and Gainesville's Eastside High School.
Being so familiar with Gainesville, Hawkins feels he's prepared to be an active part of the city commission.
